There was no immediate details about the manner of Jia’s execution, although lethal injection has become the popular form of capital punishment over traditional firing squads.

Village leaders had Jia’s family home demolished back in 2013 to make way for a new development, just days before his wedding there. He was beaten by thugs and never compensated for his loss.

Two years later, Jia retooled a nail gun and used it to killed the local official he blamed for the 2013 razing of his home.

Common Chinese citizens, legal scholars and even elements of state-run media rallied to Jia’s defense after he was sentenced to death. They claimed Jia’s crime was sparked by extenuating circumstances and some elements of government corruption.

However, that popular support might have worked against Jia – as authorities carried out the execution, fearing that bowing to popular will could set a bad precedent in the authoritarian regime.

“Clearly, the Chinese authorities are incredibly worried about the potential for citizens to mobilize public opinion in sensitive cases, and put pressure on the government to make social change,” Amnesty International researcher William Nee told the Washington Post.